Ribbon mechanism.



C. l. SWAIM.

RIBBON MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9. 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ,278,25% a Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

C. J. SWAIM.

RIBBON MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 19l6.

1 78,25%. Patented Sept. 10 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CECIL J. SWAIM, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

RIBBON MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Paten-figgdlfigpt, 1M}, 1918,

Application filed March 9, 1916. Serial No. sense.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CECIL J. SWAIM, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ribbon Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention.

This invention relates to improvements in ribbon mechanism for typewriters, and the object of the invention is to provide-a supplementary ribbon mechanism attachable to a typewriter to provide the same with any desired number of additional ribbons, for the purpose of replacing carbon paper when it is desired to make a number of copies at a single writing.

A further object of the invention is to provide a supplementary ribbon mechanism which may be instantly moved into or out of operative position.

A still further object is to provide a ribbon mechanism applicable to practically all make of typewriters.

Another object is to provide a supplementary ribbon mechanism which will permit use of the full width of the typewriter laten.

Still another object is to provide means for satisfactorily employing a number of ribbons in superposed relation, and for maintaining such ribbons separated and in perfect register.

It will be readily understood that owing to the numerous variations in the structure of dilferent makes of typewriters and the constant production of new models having unforeseeable variations of "structure, it is impossible within the bounds of pre'cticability to illustrate and describe an attachment which will be applicable to every make of typewriter. Such alterations in the structure hereafter described, as may be necessary to adapt the structure to any particular make of typewriter, must therefore be considered as modifications which fall within the limits of the present invention.

The device consists of a light framework adapted to rest on the carriage of a typewriter and to be releasably connected thereto. The framework is provided with a pair of ribbon spool holders arranged one at each end of the carriage either axially parallel with or axially transverse to the typeportion of the platen.

writer platen as may be desired. These spools carry a plurality of ribbons which are guided by suitablev means across the platen in superposed relation. The means for guiding and separating the ribbons is of great importance, and comprises a plate bent back and forth upon itself to form a plurality of separate .ribbon passages.

The use of such a ribbon mechanism ,as hereafter described is particularly essential in typewriters provided with paper roll holding attachments, and the invention has therefore been illustrated as operating in conjunction with such a device.

In the drawings which illustrate the invent1on:

Figure 1 is aside 'elevation of a ribbon mechanism showing the same flexibly secured to a fragment of a paper roll holding attachment.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are sectionson the lines 3-3 and 441 respectively, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a ribbon spool spindle.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a slightly different form of device.

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 6, having parts broken away.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a slightly alternative form of ribbon guide.

Referrin more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the platen of a typewriter having a spindle 12, and .13 designates a the typewriter carriage having a back stay 1a. In certain makes of typewriters, the platen is mounted in a basket which shifts within the carriage for the purpose of changing from lowerto upper case letters and vice versaf The stay rod of such a carriage is indicated at 15. The driving arm of a paper roll holding attachment is shown at 16 as hooked to the carriage back stay 14, for the purpose of imparting carriage movement to the roll holding attachment. This arm carries a-post 17 having a rod 18 extending parallel withthe platen, and forming a guide "over which the paper passes to The ribbon mechanism comprises a pair of end frames 19 adapted to lie against adjacent surfaces of the carriage portions 13, and having outwardly turned feet 20 resting on the carriage portions 13. These end frames are providedwith notches 21 adapted to engage the platen basket stay 15, so that, the, ribbon mechanism will follow the platen in all its movements. These end frames are connected'by links 22 with the standards 17, the connection between the position, a notch 25 in each frame engages the platen basket stay 15. The pivot member 24 may if desired be continuous between the frames 19 for the purpose of stiffening the mechanism and forming a connection between the ends thereof independent of that obtained through the paper roll holding attachment. The forwardends of the frames are connected .by a transverse member 26, one 'edgeof which may be also used as a knife against which paper may be torn off ,in suitable lengths.

A spool'holder 27 is mounted on each en frame, and is of U-shape, as shown in Fig. 1, each arm being bifurcated at its extremity, as shown in Fig. 2. The arms are turned so as to hold the ribbon spools 28 clear of the ends of the platen, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. Theinclined position of the holders naturally indicates an inclined position of the slots 29 formed between the bifurcations. As will be readily seen, this inclination of the slots is away from the pull of the ribbon passing across the platen, so that nothing beyond the forge of gravity and the pull of the. ribbons is required to hold the spools in position. Each spool holderincl'udes a spindle 30 revoluble in the slots'29. This spindle carries a ratchet wheel 31 adapted for coeperation with any suitable pawl forming part of a driving or holding mechanism.

The ratchet wheel is also provided with a.

pin 32 adapted to engage the eccentrically disposed opening found in all ribbon spools, for the purpose of revolu'bly connecting same with the ribbon feed mechanism of the typewriter on which they are used. It will thus be seen that spools of the ordinary description may be used, the spindles being passed through the spool and the pin 32 en; gaged therein. The spindle is then dropped into the slots 29 and the ratchet wheel meshes with whatever spool controlling mechanism is provided, such as'the pawl shown in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of guiding the ribbons across the platen at the printing. line, guides 33are provided on each end frame. These guidespreferably take the form of a sheet ofthin, suitably stiff metal bent back and forth upon itself to form a series of pasdeavors have-been made to produce a satisfactory multiple ribbon mechanism for typewriters. All those working along this line have met with the difficulty of separating the ribbons in order to prevent a tight rib- I 'bon dragging and bunohing a slacker ribbon, and also with the difficulty of maintaining the ribbons in superposed relation after turning them across the platen. When only two or three ribbons are used, the faultyregister is not, of very great importance, as there will be sufficient width. of ribbon available at the printing line. When, however, a large number of ribbons is used,

this factor has presented an apparently insurmountable difficulty. The ribbon guide shown herein is, however, of such nature that any number of ribbons may be used. and all will be maintained in perfect register and sufficiently separated to completely preclude the possibility of one ribbon dragging another. As will be seen, the end of the guide 33 is sligh tly notched or set back where the ribbon passes, so that projections 35 are formed providing ribbon guides. In the front edge of the guide, a similar recess 36 is formed by cutting through the metal at the bend. This cut does not extend transversely of the guide, but is slightly stepped, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the ribbons are separated.

The ribbons, which may be three in num ber for the guide shown, pass from the spools through the two passages of the guide, and one over the inner surface. At the inclined bottom of the guide, the ribbon traveling over the inner surface is turned around the inclined edge, and through the first passage, emerging at the front vertical edge. The ribbon in the first passage is turned. around the inclined edge and through the second passage, and the ribbon in the second passage is similarly turned over the edgeand travels against the outersurface of the guide. It will be readily seen that the ribbonsiare now traveling in a forward direction at right angles to the platen. The ribbons .are now turned over the front edge of the guide through an angle of 90, so as to travel across the front .of the laten. It is in the notched portion 36 of t is front edge that the stepping previously referred to occurs. The edges are progressively set back from the outer layer to the inner, as clearly shown ifi Fig. 4, thus separating the ribbons for them passage across the platen. The feature essential to keeping the superposed ribbons exactly in register is-the provision of the ina clined edges over which. they turn all in the .of'typewriter from that shown in Figs. 1

and 2. These latter figures also illustrate the spools arranged axially parallel with the platen and the ribbon mechanism" mounted independently of any mechanism other than the-typewriter. In this adaptation of the invention, the carriage side mem-- bers 19 instead of being supported-on the platen basket or other portion of the carriage, are provided with notches 3.7 which engage the platen spindle, sojthat the rib,- bon frame is supported directly. on the platen, and will followits movements in the same manner as already described. A second point of support is necessary, and this may be obtained by providing a slotted rearward extension'38 of. the side frames adapted to engage the carriage stay 14E or other suitable part of the machine, the slot of this extension being of such form that movement of the platen'is not interfered with. This slot and the side frames themselves.- may in fact be formed so that a single design of ribbon mechanism will be applicable to a number of makes of type writers. The spool holders andspools with their attendant mechanism are substantially.

as previously described, with the exception that they are turned into axially parallel relation with the platen. This turning of the spools necessitates a turning of the ribbon guides 33, but

there is no necessary change in the The ribbons, when threaded through the guide, in place'of being turned 7 over the vertical edge thereof, continue,

beyond the change of position, ribbon guides.

straight across the platenin the plane of the guides. A further slight'modification, which is found to be advisable with certain makes of typewriters, is also illustrated, and consists in mounting the tearing off knife 26 atthe free ends of arms 39, which are pi'vote'd at their opposite ends to some suitableportionof the frames, so that'the' knife may be swung upwardly and rearwardlyto the position shownin dot anddash lines, where it will not interfere with the threading of paper between the ribbons or the made'in ting 40, to support the knife on theside frames, of if desired the knife may be'supported the entire width of the platen is '.'correcti0n of errors which have been the writing. The end-S of the cut-- 0E knife may project laterally, as at merely by the arms 39 resting on a trans-' verse stay ll, or any other suitable support carried by the frames.

Each of the forms shown has its advantages. The arrangement of spools in Figs. 1 and 2 permits the positioning of the r1bbon guides at the ends'of the platen, so that available for writing. The formshown in Figs. 5 and 6 is neat'er and morecompact as regards the arrangement of ribbon spools, but in the majority of typewriters, the ribbon guides will encroach to, a certain extent on the ends of the platen, thus reducing the available writing space. The link 22 of Fig.

51 may obviously be omitted, so that the ribbon. mechanism can be removed from the, typewriter in an instant of time in exactly the same manner asthe form shown in Fig. 6. Conversely, the latter form may, if desired, have alink or other-connection with a paper roll holding attachment. In the same way, the swing-up tearing" ofl' knife shown in the latter embodiment may be applied to the former. It will be seen that with both'forms, the mechanism merely rests upon the\ typewriter carriage, and may be separated therefrom at will by a simple lifting movement, thus enabling the multiple ribbon mechanism to be thrown out of oper-. ation at a moments'motice and the typewriter used for ordinary work. No ribbon shifting mechanism has been shown,as for many purposes, it has been found quite satisfactory to shift the ribbons by hand when required. This is rendered possible by the fact that the exposed length of ribbon travrels with the platen, so that. each letter space by the type of a number. 0 similar separate plates 42 of suitable shape, connected together with fillers 43 therebetween by means of rivets 44. Having thus described my invention, what I claim 1s:'

1. In a multiple ribbon mechanism, a' rib bon ide comprising a sheet. of material bent ack and forth on itselfand forming a series of separate ribbon passages, said guide having-the lower end thereof inclined to its: edges.

- 2. In a multiple ribbon mechanism, a ribbon guide having a, plurality of separate ribbon passages therein, and ribbon turning members at the lower endsof saidpassages arranged all in'the same inclined plane. f

3. In amultipleribbon mechanism,-a. ribbonguide having a plurality, of separate ribbon passages therein,.,and ribbon turning. means carried by sa1d guide arranged to turn the ribbons in the plane which they occupy in the guide and. maintain the rib-, bons 1n register. n

tee

' bon passages, means for turning said ribbons 1n thelr normal plane and maintainlng 4. In a multiple ribbon mechanism, a ribbon guide having a plurality of separate 'ribthem in register, and means for turning the ribbons out of their normal plane and maintaining them separated.

' 5. In a ribbon mechanism, a ribbon guide having a plurality of separate ribbon passages therein, inclined end edges on said guide arranged to turn the ribbons and a ribbon outlet in the front edge of said-guide exposing the edges of the ribbon passage separating walls, said edges being stepped back from oneside of the guide to. the others 6. In a multiple ribbon mechanism, a' framew'ork'adapted to rest on the carriage of. a typewriter, including normally fixed anchor members engageable with the carsaid spool frame having feet adapted to support it on the carriage frame in operative position, and end members adapted to 1mpart carriage movement to the spool frame,

said spool frame havingnotches therein adapted to receive the carriage frame to releasably hold the spool frame in operative and inoperative positions.

In wltness whereof, I havehereunto set my hand, 1n presence of two wltnesses'.

CEOILJ. sWAIM. Witnesses:

C. R. W. ALLEN, G. MjMoRELA-ND; 

